By Vivek Prabhakar Singh

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], September 6 (ANI): Indian powerlifter Keyaa Banerji described her World Junior Championship silver medal as an 'incredible' achievement, saying she is proud of her performance while aiming to eventually win a gold medal for the country.

Banerji delivered a remarkable performance at the 2026 IPF World Sub-Junior and Junior Classic Powerlifting Championships in Sun City, South Africa, in the Junior Women's 47kg category.

The biggest moment of her campaign came with her 140kg deadlift, an extraordinary lift that was more than three times her body weight. Weighing just 45.70kg, Banerji achieved the feat, which became one of the standout moments of the championship and gained widespread attention on social media.

Banerji has shown consistent improvement in her performances. At the 2025 National Championship, she lifted 82.5kg in the squat, 47.5kg in the bench press and 127.5kg in the deadlift, recording a total of 257.5kg. She improved those numbers at the 2025 National Championship, where she registered 95kg in the squat, 52.5kg in the bench press and 140kg in the deadlift, finishing with an overall total of 287.5kg.

Speaking to ANI, the 21-year-old powerlifter said she was overwhelmed after her achievement gained attention but remained focused on celebrating her accomplishment after years of hard work.

'I think initially it is a great feeling. Once it came out on social media, I did get a little bit overwhelmed. There was some negative attention, but I would like to avoid talking about that too much. I am very proud of myself and very happy with my accomplishment. I have been working towards this for two years,' Keyaa said.

She added that competing at the World Championship was itself a major milestone, and the silver medal came as a pleasant surprise.

'This silver medal was something I wasn't expecting initially. I was just happy to be present at the World Championship because powerlifting is a long-term sport. I do have plans of eventually winning a World Championship and getting a gold back for the country,' she said.

Keyaa said her initial goal was to gain experience at the global event, but her performance helped her achieve a memorable result.

'It started with me thinking that this World Championship is something I'm going to attend just for experience. The fact that I ended up putting such a good number up and winning a medal was just absolutely incredible,' she added.

Talking about her crucial 140 kg deadlift that helped her secure the podium finish, Keyaa said competition performances are different from training numbers and explained that the lift was below the target set with her coach.

'Competition day numbers and training numbers aren't always the same. Performing as an athlete on competition day is very different from what you do in training. In powerlifting, we usually try to hit maxes in competition,' she said.

'Although my result worked out in a way that I won a silver medal, as an athlete, the planning that my coach and I had done, 140 kg was on the lower end of the range for what we were planning to hit that day,' Keyaa added.

The powerlifter revealed that she had lifted heavier weights during training and was aiming to challenge the Asian record at the championship.

'In training, I have hit around 147.5 kg and 150 kg several times. 147.5 kg is also the Asian record. So, my ideal day would have been breaking the Asian record on stage. I was a little disheartened that I wasn't able to do that,' she said.

Keyaa explained that after completing the 140 kg lift, she attempted a bigger jump but could not clear it.

'140 kg wasn't my third deadlift; it was my second deadlift. It moved a little bit slower than expected compared to how it moves in training. So, I took a smaller jump of 142.5 after that, and I failed that lift. It wasn't an ideal day, but things worked out,' she added.

Reflecting on her podium finish, Keyaa said sharing the stage with athletes she admired was a special experience.

'I can't explain it, and I am overwhelmed. I was very happy to just be there. To be at that World Championship, meet my competitors, see the girls that I used to look up to around me and compete in the same competition - it was an unreal feeling,' she concluded. (ANI)